Belgium's Defence Minister, Ludivine Dedonder, has announced that Belgian Defence will provide Ukraine with €611 million in military aid this year. The announcement came after a conversation

between Dedonder and her Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov, where they discussed various aspects of military assistance, including Belgium's participation in a coalition training Ukrainian pilots.

The funds for this military aid are sourced from interest accrued on frozen Russian assets, as confirmed by Dedonder's office. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the European Union decided to freeze Russian assets within its territory. The majority of these assets are located in Belgium, particularly at Euroclear, a major international payments player. The frozen assets, totaling around €180 billion, have generated significant profits for Euroclear, which is also being reinvested.

Belgium has been actively supporting Ukraine since Russia's invasion nearly two years ago. In addition to participating in the international F-16 coalition and committing to supplying F-16s to Ukraine in 2025, Belgium has developed mechanisms to trace Russian diamonds, established a support fund indirectly funded by interest on frozen Russian assets, supplied generators, and recently allocated €2.5 million for installing solar panels on Ukrainian hospital roofs.

In December, the Belgian federal government approved the 19th package of defence aid to Ukraine, primarily comprising ballistic protection kits (bulletproof vests) and a substantial number of generators. This latest commitment underscores Belgium's ongoing commitment to bolstering Ukraine's defence capabilities. Photo by U.S. Secretary of Defense, Wikimedia commons.